HYDERABAD: In traditional dhoti-kurta coupled with white cap and quintessential Indian by look, the 74-year-old Anna has given Gandhi cap a new height, making jeans clad and ultra-modern Gen-next wear the white-coloured cap. “I saw lot of youngsters wearing Gandhi topi in yesterday’s candle light protest at Necklace Road,” says Shreyan Reddy, engineering student.“Since we are calling Anna Hazare the next Gandhi, the topi is symbolic to Gandhi and since white is the colour of peace, I find it cool to falunt it,” Hemanth Kumar, young entrepreneur.As Anna Hazare’s fight against corruption gains momentum across the country, the sale of Gandhi topis have also surged. “Anna and his signature Gandhi cap became popular among masses and its sale increased in the past few days. The topi, which has now assumed a symbolic significance for those who claim to oppose corruption, is priced between `30 and `40,” says salesman Srinivas of Sri Venkateshwara Khadi Store. The cap is usually worn on days like Republic and Independence Day, but it has become an important aspect of the anti-graft movement launched by Hazare. From school students to senior citizens to rickshawalas to IT professionals, people are thronging shops to buy the caps. Anna’s supporters have started to wear Gandhi topis, to express solidarity with his campaign. There has been a brisk sale of these caps over the past few days. Shopkeepers who sell these caps near Lakdi-ka-pul have found the anti-graft movement to be a good source of revenue. G S Rao, one such shopkeeper, said: “The sale of Gandhi topi has picked up. The sale of topi is generally high around Independence Day, Republic Day, Gandhi Jayanti or government functions. However, over the past few days, the rise in sale has been high.”However, with the Western style of clothing gaining precedence, the Gandhi cap has lost its popularity. But because of Hazare’s movement, the cap has once again come to occupy its rightful place on the crown.
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